Vance: New DNA Law Will Prevent Murders, Help Solve Old Cases

On the heels of an announcement that New York will become the first state to collect DNA evidence from nearly all people convicted of crimes, including misdemeanors, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said he was elated.

“This bill will save lives, guaranteed,” Vance, who has embraced new technology since taking office in 2010, told Law Blog.

Vance predicted that as a wave of new samples flows into the state’s DNA Databank, his office will have the ability to crack unsolved crimes that have lingered for years. “You’re going to see cold cases solved,” he said.

The new legislation was announced Wednesday evening by New York Governor Andrew M Cuomo, State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

The ACLU has said mass DNA collection invites error, fraud and abuse.

“The politics of forensic DNA are way ahead good science and public policy,” said Robert Perry, legislative director of the ACLU’s New York branch, in a statement. “This deal is long on collection of DNA samples and short on justice, fairness and the integrity of state crime labs.”

Before the bill was passed, some convicted felons and people convicted of serious misdemeanors were not required to give DNA samples to police, which meant only 48% of people convicted of a Penal Law crime in the state handed over a sample.

Vance said that when he worked in the Manhattan district attorney’s office as a prosecutor in the 1980s, DNA was barely used. “It took a liquid sample size of a silver dollar,” he said. “Now we have biological samples the size of a pinhead.”

The legislation was also sold as a way to minimize wrongful convictions. It provides greater access to DNA evidence that can be used to exonerate those who were wrongfully accused or convicted.

About Law Blog

The Law Blog covers the legal arena’s hot cases, emerging trends and big personalities. It’s brought to you by lead writer Jacob Gershman with contributions from across The Wall Street Journal’s staff. Jacob comes here after more than half a decade covering the bare-knuckle politics of New York State. His inside-the-room reporting left him steeped in legal and regulatory issues that continue to grab headlines.

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